Lately I’ve been thinking about how having a growing anime blog and podcast has changed my viewing and even writing habits, and about the motivation for continuing this increasingly time consuming hobby. It’s prompted, in part, by the closure of a few anime blogs, as well as my own recent hiatus, and also by genuine curiosity about how other people keep it up.
Why do I continue to do this? Well, let’s see…
- I love anime, obviously. Of all kinds, though some kinds more than others. I have not yet become totally jaded in the manner of the movie critic who’s seen too much.
- I love to write. There’s a rush I get in writing reasonably well, even if it gets few or no comments (though the more, the merrier!). Longer articles, like yesterday’s anime and gender one, put me in a zone where I forget about time and space, a lot like the state I’m in when I’m writing fiction.
- I love to analyze. Everyone who’s read those long articles can see that. 🙂
- But I also love to be snarky sarcastic sometimes. People who know me in real life know that in person I’m a lot more subdued, serious, and earnest. This is one of my humor outlets.
- I feel a responsibility to my readers. This is the most popular and commented-upon blog I’ve ever been a part of (and I’ve been part of several). I love interacting with everyone who comments, not just here but also on your own sites. And I feel like I owe it to you all to write well, do a professional podcast as much as I can, and provide good insights.
- Most of all, it’s fun. If it wasn’t I’d stop. Simple as that.
How have some of my habits changed since I became a regular anime blogger?
- I pick up a number of shows and/or episodes primarily for review purposes. I used to just watch things on a whim. Now in the back of my mind I think, “how can I write about this?” for pretty much everything I watch.
- I have to factor in the time to write a review into whatever time I budget into watching any given anime. In practice this often means I watch fewer anime, but because that also forces me to be picky–better anime.
- I’ve become totally obsessed with our stats at Google Analytics, probably to the detriment of my mental health. 🙂 I hope I don’t become with those hit counts like I was in high school where my self-esteem was dependent on my report card!
Now I turn the question back to you, dear fellow blogmeisters: since you become bloggers, what keeps you going (or what made you stop, if you have)? Especially for those who keep regular posts and updates–how do you keep doing it without it becoming boring, a job or a routine? And how have your viewing habits changed, and the way you look at anime in general? Would you say similar things to what I said above or emphasize different things?
Note: this is not an insinuating prelude to me dramatically announcing my exit from anime blogging. You can breathe easier now. 🙂 I’m genuinely curious.